Articles by: Contributing Author

By Erik Larsen The City of Howell is the largest city in Livingston County, Michigan, with approximately 10,000 residents, and has significantly improved operations at its Class B wastewater treatment facility. The plant processes about 2 million gallons daily and recently implemented a biological nutrientRead More

By Steven Taylor Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems are intertwined, yet they often work in silos. A recent survey of cybersecurity professionals in critical infrastructure sectors revealed IT compromises as the top attack method (45%) into OT and industrial systems in 2024.Read More

By Anna Gagliardo & Kevin Weeks The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) manages one of North America’s most extensive Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) networks, spanning 260 miles and supplying over two million residents across 11 counties with pipe mains ranging from 72 in. toRead More

By David Cole The challenges those of us in the drinking water sector face in 2025 are many of the same issues that have faced utility engineers and operators for years now; namely how best to deliver clean, safe drinking water using the highest qualityRead More

Settled on the rolling prairies near the Big Sioux River in southeast South Dakota, Alcester is a rural community currently home to about 850 people. The city utility department staff is reflective of the community size and scope — with many employees serving multiple roles.Read More

Riverside Rehab Demonstrates Why They Are Critical Project Components By Paul Gagliardo In public works construction, bid documents are critical as they define the project scope, requirements, evaluation criteria and products to be used. Creating accurate and complete bid documents and product specifications allows theRead More

Best Practices for Project Funding By Erik Johnson & Brandon Vatter Water and wastewater utilities are tasked with balancing multiple goals and objectives that require significant funding and at times can conflict with each other. Additionally, securing financial support, both at the local and federalRead More

By John Ryan Like it or not, the U.S. federal government is in the middle of a major upheaval. Everything and anything, no matter how well established by time or precedent, can be questioned. It’s unlikely that the policy parameters of federal finance for waterRead More

By John Ryan Are the 2020 WIFIA Federal Credit Reform Act Criteria an example of bureaucratic overreach? Before Jan. 20 of this year, the answer to that question would perhaps not have mattered much. But now it does – as a precursor to more directRead More

By Wayne Hofmann On Jan. 27 of this year, I traveled across the country to talk to strangers about federal funding, something I do occasionally. As I drank my morning coffee and prepared my remarks, a colleague sent an article titled “White House budget officeRead More